National links benefit museum

The recent Museums Aotearoa annual conference highlighted the
advantages of belonging to the national museum organisation,
an Otago Museum manager, Caroline Cook, says.

The museum had not been a member of the national body for
some years before rejoining last year, under new director Dr
Ian Griffin.

Ms Cook, the museum marketing and development manager, said
about six museum staff, including commercial director Murray
Bayly, had attended the three-day conference in Napier.

Ms Cook said the Otago Museum was a leading institution but
its staff could learn a good deal by keeping up to date with
what other museums were doing and how they were dealing with
shared challenges, including rising costs.